LONDON, May 13 (Xinhua) -- Chinese fashion designer and contemporary artist Xu Rui presented her latest project on Monday in London, one that expressed concern over climate change.
Themed "The Dethroning of Divine Beasts -- A Sequel to the Classic of Mountains and Seas," the music and dance performance took the audience by storm.
Drawn upon "The Classics of Mountains and Seas," the primary source of Chinese mythology from around the 3rd Century BC to the 2nd Century AD, Xu told the story of seven divine beasts residing in an ancient and legendary realm, such as Chenghuang and Nine-Tailed Fox.
In the three-act performance, these once-exalted and powerful creatures, formed as both gods and beasts, are terrified to discover the loss of their magical powers after being transported to the mundane world of modern city life. The project aims to show how human activity impacts the natural world, calling on people to reflect and react.
From Olafur Eliasson's centuries-old blocks of ice outside the Tate Modern gallery last year, to the mural at Marble Arch supporting the Extinction Rebellion protests in London, artists in London have been expressing growing concern to climate change.
By combining fashion design, painting, choreography, dance and music, Xu told Xinhua that she wants to use her performance to visualize the delicacy of the divinity of nature and convey her attitude towards global climate change and environmental crisis.
"I hope that my work will evoke a shared understanding of artistic beauty," said the London-based artist, adding that the project can remind the public to rethink their behaviors in order to "keep our biological nature a little bit longer."
Inspired by the Dizang Studio Jade Collection exhibited at auction house Christie's, Xu invited seven prominent international dancers and choreographer Amy Grubb to present the project.
